While Ryen and the others descended into the Troll Cave to begin their exploration,
Alhaitham had already returned to Sumeru City.
The moment he stepped through the gates, he noticed something unsettling about his Akasha Terminal.
Its operation felt smoother, almost too smooth.
For most people, this would be fortunate: a more efficient Akasha meant faster calculations, quicker data retrieval, and greater convenience for research.
For Alhaitham, it meant trouble.
A smoother system meant additional computational power had been allocated to him,
and Sumeru's sages were not known for generosity.
More power meant more surveillance.
They were tightening their grip, monitoring his actions, even attempting to deduce his future behavior.
"Trying to predict my movements?"
Alhaitham's eyes flashed with quiet disdain.
He always wore the Akasha Terminal, but his own behavioral data had never been uploaded.
The system knew remarkably little about him.
A man as wary and analytical as Alhaitham would never allow the Akasha to chart his entire life.
His long-term caution was now paying off.
Still… this new vigilance from the Akasha would complicate his plans to contact Nilou and Dehya.
Maintaining his usual routines so as not to raise suspicion, Alhaitham headed toward the Akademiya.
On the surface, he acted exactly as he always did,
but all his attention was focused on the flow of the street around him.
The House of the Homayani lay near Sumeru's main roads; anyone heading toward the Akademiya would pass by it.
That spared him quite a bit of time.
Judging by the hour, midmorning, not long before the Sabzeruz Festival, he calculated that the young lady of the Humaiz family, Dunyarzad, would insist on going out for fresh air.
And Dehya, hired as her guard, would be trying, and failing, to stop her.
Sure enough, outside the Grand Bazaar, Alhaitham spotted Dehya gently trying to coax Dunyarzad to return home.
"Miss, please… you've already been outside for more than half an hour. If you keep pushing yourself, your body won't hold up."
There was frustration in Dehya's voice, but also deep concern.
Dunyarzad gave a soft smile.
"I know my own body. Half an hour won't hurt anything."
"That's what you said last time!"
Dehya pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Last time you stayed out for half an hour, and then you collapsed into bed for the entire day.
Please don't make this harder for me."
Dunyarzad's shoulders drooped.
"But… I promised Nilou I'd come support her today. She's about to go on stage…"
Dehya sighed.
"You can support her another day. Nilou understands your condition.
If you exhaust yourself now, you might miss the Sabzeruz Festival entirely.
Wouldn't it be better to save your strength for when it truly matters?"
"But…"
It was at this moment that Alhaitham stepped forward, allowing his voice to cut directly into their conversation.
"A patient with Eleazar needs proper rest to maintain stability.
If you intend to attend the Sabzeruz Festival, you should preserve your strength."
The interruption was abrupt, almost forceful.
And that was intentional.
Dunyarzad herself was harmless.
But Dehya?
A warrior who lived her life on the edge of danger,
Alhaitham needed her wariness.
Sure enough, Dehya immediately stepped in front of Dunyarzad, shielding her.
She shot Alhaitham a cold, piercing look.
"Well, well. The Akademiya's illustrious Scribe.
Since when is eavesdropping part of a scribe's duties?"
"Dehya…"
Dunyarzad tugged at her arm nervously.
Alhaitham, unfazed, continued calmly.
"You don't seem like someone who relies on the Akasha.
So you remembered my identity from memory alone?"
"Is that difficult?"
Dehya scoffed.
"For those of us who walk the line between life and death, remembering threats is basic survival.
Unlike you Akademiya types, too brainwashed to see anything clearly."
Alhaitham noted her hostility with quiet satisfaction.
Her resentment toward the Akademiya meant she could be drawn into the plan.
"Dehya…"
Dunyarzad whispered nervously again. She hated conflict and didn't want Dehya making enemies.
Sensing her worry, Dehya softened slightly.
"So? What do you want?
If this is about your so-called 'art ban,' surely the Akademiya wouldn't send a scribe to deal with us."
Dunyarzad stiffened.
Rumors had been circulating,
that the Akademiya intended to shut down performances during the Sabzeruz Festival.
If Alhaitham really was here for that, then Nilou, the Bazaar, the entire celebration…
everything could collapse.
Fortunately, Alhaitham replied evenly:
"That matter is not under my authority."
Dehya snorted.
"So the rumors are true.
How very typical of your Akademiya."
Alhaitham didn't deny it.
Instead, he looked to Dunyarzad.
His tone sharpened, purposefully.
"From the looks of it, your Eleazar is already in its late stages.
Continuing like this, it's uncertain you'll make it to the Festival at all."
Dunyarzad lowered her gaze, sadness flickering in her eyes.
Of course she knew the truth.
But she desperately wanted to stay well long enough to see Nilou dance.
That wish alone kept her moving.
Dehya's expression darkened instantly.
Her Pyro Vision flared to life, casting a sharp amber glow across her face as she glared at Alhaitham.
"Is everyone in the Akademiya this tactless?"
"Or did you come here specifically to pick a fight?
Because if so, I don't mind beating you to a pulp right now."
Alhaitham answered in the same calm tone as before:
"I was merely stating the facts."
"And I can 'state the facts' by punching you. Want to test that theory?"
Dehya took a step forward, every muscle coiled like a predator preparing to strike.
"Dehya…"
Dunyarzad tugged at her arm anxiously.
"He isn't wrong. I know my own condition.
But I believe, if I don't give up, Lord Lesser Lord Kusanali will watch over me.
I will live to see Nilou dance at the Sabzeruz Festival."
Alhaitham paused, his gaze lingering on Dunyarzad for a long moment before he spoke softly:
"Indeed. At this point, willpower is the only factor keeping your body from collapsing."
"Don't take my words as cruelty. It's simply what the research shows.
If you truly wish to attend the Festival, you should listen to her and go home."
Then he glanced lightly at Dehya, almost dismissively, and turned away.
"By the way, recently I obtained some documents from an Eleazar research station in the desert.
The results suggest this:
Eleazar cannot be reversed… but it can be alleviated."
He continued without slowing.
"Among every hundred Padisarahs, one is said to possess unusual medicinal qualities.
If used properly, it can ease an Eleazar patient's pain.
Ask the Humaiz family to search, you may find one."
"And… I hold no prejudice against the arts.
Unfortunately, this time…"
Alhaitham shook his head faintly and walked off, leaving the implication hanging.
He didn't need to see their reactions.
His goal was accomplished.
Tonight, he only had to wait at Gandharva Ville.
Dehya would come.
She was too sharp not to notice the subtext in his words.
And even if she somehow missed it,
He had provoked her directly.
A warrior like the Flame-Mane Lioness would never let that go.
As she watched his departing silhouette, Dehya narrowed her eyes, her stance shifting like a lioness about to leap.
Dunyarzad tugged gently at her sleeve.
"Dehya… I'm tired. Let's go back."
Dehya exhaled, letting the tension drain from her expression.
"Alright… let's go."
Time passed in silence.
In the Minecraft world, Ryen's team had already cleared the Troll Cave, secured the Magic Beans, and were heading to the location where they needed to plant them to reach the Cloudtop Cottage, their next major objective.
Twilight Forest had no night–day cycle.
Their only way to track time, the Moon Dial, was with Albedo's tools back in the workshop.
Not that it mattered, they intended to push straight through until everything was finished.
Meanwhile in Teyvat…
Night had settled over Sumeru.
At Chinvat Ravine, beneath the moonless sky, two silhouettes stood atop the cliff:
Alhaitham and Cyno, overlooking the distant lights of Sumeru City.
Neither wore an Akasha Terminal.
After a long stretch of silence, Cyno asked:
"Are you certain they'll come?"
Alhaitham replied:
"Relax. The Flame-Mane does not forgive easily.
I provoked her openly in broad daylight. She'll come, if only to vent her anger for Dunyarzad's sake."
Cyno's eyes narrowed.
"And Nilou?"
"Even easier."
Alhaitham's tone was almost casual.
"She needs to know the truth about the Sabzeruz Festival.
And she needs confirmation about the Padisarah remedy."
"She won't resist coming.
Why do you think I spoke at the Grand Bazaar gate?
News travels through that place faster than the Akasha."
Cyno gave him a long, heavy look.
"If you ever use these manipulative tricks on academic matters,
I won't hesitate to punish you."
Alhaitham chuckled softly.
"As intriguing as it would be to test the General Mahamatra's interrogation methods…
I save such low-grade tactics for practical necessities."
"So you have used high-grade ones?"
Cyno asked, his tone dangerously flat.
Alhaitham didn't answer.
Cyno's expression darkened.
"Once this is over, I really should investigate you."
Alhaitham remained unbothered.
Even if he had done something, Cyno would never find proof.
Just then, Alhaitham glanced up at the dark sky.
"A moonless, windless night…"
A voice drifted from the nearby path:
"A perfect night for murder.
Tell me, Scribe…
if I killed you here,
would the Akademiya even bother chasing me?"
Alhaitham's lips curved faintly.
The quarry had arrived.